Aftersun
by MadSix
Summary: In the midst of a Reaper invasion, there is no one more formidable than Commander Shepard. Within a crumbling galaxy, she faces the darkest side of war, aware that the costs are many and unavoidable. But sometimes, it helps to have someone to hold on to, even if it means risking a greater loss. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**I might as well admit it, I'm a sucker for Alternate Universe-type stuff. Seeing as Aftersun takes place somewhere vastly different than the ME universe we know and love (but not too 'out there' that it'll be unrecognizable) I will lay down some important details. Of course, questions are welcome. Always.**

**Firstly, Reapers began their invasion about twenty years prior, so the universe as we know it is already engaged in this galaxy-wide war with them. Reapers are also less difficult to kill - their advantage has always been their numbers, not their strength. So for the time being, Reapers are being kept at bay by combined military strength. **

**Two years ago, Commander Shepard faced the toughest one yet - Sovereign. She is well aware that there are more "S-class" Reapers out there that will completely decimate them unless they can come up with a way to effectively end this ongoing war. **

**It also might be worth mentioning that indoctrination is well-known by this point, and there is no known therapy to cure the effects, except perhaps a bullet to the brain. The cost of the war is becoming staggering, not just in military terms but personally as well - a lot of people are coming to terms with the fact that there may be no tomorrow...**

* * *

**Message received**:

I heard about your landing on Noveria—if anyone knows how to make an explosive entrance, it's you. And the feeds say you made it out alright, no casualties. It's nice to hear good news once in a while.

-Garrus

**Message sent**:

It was a mess down there. I had half the crew overlooking evacuation while my team went in. It got a little difficult towards the end, but we managed. I remember when it was mostly Geth in the Aleutsk Valley, sure we found a Reaper here and there, but nothing compared to how it was this time. Thankfully, we have Thanix cannons.

**Message received**:

Huh. All I remember from Noveria was how cold it was. Still, I'm glad you made it out alive and that my calibrating finally paid off.

Shepard, I know I'm probably not the best person to say this, but it'll get better somehow. It has to. In the meantime, it turns out I still have more Reaper kills than you. What was it? 49 to 42?

-Garrus

**Message sent**:

Live it up, Garrus. We're heading back to the Terminus systems, the Reapers there are practically _begging_ to be shot out of the skies; it's just a matter of time now.

* * *

Shepard chuckled as she set the datapad aside, unintentionally disturbing the sleeping drell on the bed beside her. He shifted under the covers, lightly opened his eyes as his lips parted in a sigh.

"Sorry," she said in hushed voice, "didn't mean to wake you."

His eyes settled on hers, the commodity of sharing her sleeping quarters for the night apparent in his appreciative gaze. "It is uniquely pleasant to wake beside you, Siha." He reached out and touched her chin, mimicking the smile that danced on her lips. She curled her fingers around his hand and bent over him, pressing her mouth to his.

When she pulled away he leaned on his elbow, watching her gather the clothes she had so carelessly tossed away the night before. "You were exchanging correspondence with Officer Vakarian?"

Shepard stopped short of reaching for the pants hanging precariously from the railing by the fish tank. "I was," she tossed him a curious glance. "Did something give me away?"

Thane sat up on the bed, complacency lining his features. "Laughter, mostly. He brings something out of you, I cannot even think of a proper way to describe it."

She shrugged. "Go figure," she mumbled quickly, and promptly tossed the pants in the laundry bin.

"You must miss him," he mentioned casually, sliding into his pants and shirt. Unlike her clothes, his were neatly folded by the bed. Last night had been more her tryst than his. But he had been as much a willing participant, returning those miniscule gestures of intimate interest during the last few missions. During the shuttle back from that last mission she had flat-out asked—in front of a mortified Ashley Williams no less— if he would join her in her cabin later in the evening.

'An appealing proposal,' had been his concise reply. 'It would be my pleasure.'

Shepard paused by the fish tank, pushed the button to dispense food for the fish she kept, and turned to look at him. "It's a little strange not having him around," she admitted with a sigh. "The Normandy isn't the same without him—well, there's certainly a lot less calibrating around the main battery," she added with a smile.

"I find his reassignment peculiar," Thane noted, settling on the couch.

Garrus had been whisked away by turian command in a matter of hours after an arbitrary stop on the Citadel several months back. His perfect memory recalled every detail of the sternly-worded conversation between the Commander and the General of the Sixth Fleet.

"It's…complicated," she told him, dismayed. The memory of the scene that had played out in the conference room was still vivid in her mind. Abruptly, she had excused herself and Garrus to discuss the matter in private. Despite the General insisting that the order was from the highest authority, they both knew Shepard had too much pull in matters concerning the galaxy.

_In the privacy of the main battery, his eyes mirrored the uncertainty she felt._

_'Say you want me to stay, and I'll stay.'_

_'Do what you want,' was her response, colder than she would have liked. Something vaguely forlorn swam in his blue eyes, punctuated with something she had never noticed before._

"In the end it was his decision. I made sure of it," she told him conclusively, eager to end all discussion on the subject.

She headed for the shower while Thane patiently waited in the room. A few minutes later she was quietly changing into her uniform, her hair dripping wet. She buttoned up her coat and looked at him, brows perked in inquiry. "Entertained?"

He muttered a quick apology, barely realizing he had been raptly watching her. She gave a small chuckle and joined him, sitting on his lap and pretending to adjust his collar. "I enjoyed last night," she said, her fingers sliding down to his chest, caressing the bare skin. "Wouldn't mind doing it again."

"Glad I could be of service," he replied, certainly enticed by the idea of another encounter.

The intercom beeped and Joker's hesitant voice came in through the speaker. "Please don't be in the middle of something."

Shepard rolled her eyes at his pleading tone.

"What is it?"

"We've got something on the scanners; you might want to, you know, get some clothes on and join me on the bridge."

"Jeff!"

"_Joking_!" he said defensively, "No need to get all riled up, Commander, save it for Thane. See you soon!" He disconnected.

"I swear if he wasn't so damn good at his job I'd toss him," she gave a dismissive shake of her head, though there was humor in her features. Thane chuckled and she kissed him quickly before she rose to her feet. Together, they took the elevator to the Crew deck and parted ways from there.

Thane was well aware of the looks he garnered. Apparently, it had become common knowledge that he had spent the night with the Commander. It wasn't terribly uncommon for her to have a few flings here and there—some more reoccurring than others—and the crew didn't pay too much mind to it. Except Thane wasn't human, and this was a Cerberus crew.

Ignoring the intrigue surrounding him, he made a brief stop at the mess hall and ate his meal in the solidarity of his quarters.

* * *

Kelly Chambers smiled at Shepard as she stepped out of the elevator. "Looks like someone had a good night," she said knowingly.

Shepard shrugged, aware of what she meant. "Yeah, well I didn't do much sleeping," she said, absently rubbing the back of her neck and stifling a yawn. "Tell Gardner to make coffee."

"Of course, Commander," Kelly responded with a chuckle.

Shepard made her way to the bridge, placing a hand on the back of Joker's chair.

"What's going on?"

She looked over the screen, leaning forward so that her face was almost level with his. Joker gave a quick side glance, straightening up on the seat as if uncomfortable.

"Scanners are picking up a ship. No distress signal though, looks like it just went dark," he gave an almost inaudible sigh. "Maybe it was a Reaper."

Shepard moved away from Joker, pacing the cabin. "What can you tell me about this ship?"

EDI's voice chimed in, "It appears to be a turian ship, Commander. The lack of armaments, however, would suggest a civilian vessel."

Shepard paused, frowning. "A civilian vessel this far from Palaven? Can't be. Any chance you can pull up any info on its course or the crew?"

"No," was EDI's reply. "Information on this vessel is non-existent."

Joker peered closer at the screen, "Look at the hull, Commander. It's huge. Almost reminds me of those old freighters."

"Yeah," she looked over the scans again. "You think they were transporting more than people?"

Joker gave a slight nod. "Could be."

"EDI, run another scan, what's the status on the inside of the ship?"

EDI was silent for a moment.

Joker frowned, "Commander, couldn't we just call turian command and tell them they got a stray vessel near the Terminus systems?"

"Scans complete," EDI chimed. "Safety protocols have been established in all areas, artificial gravity generators are in working order as well. There appears to be no external damage."

"Then it's not Reapers after all," Shepard noted. "Some sort of malfunction?"

"Besides the lack of power on board, there don't seem to be any," Jeff said, analyzing the information in front of him. "Still think it's Reapers," he added, after some thought. "It's always Reapers."

"I'm boarding," Shepard said, "get a shuttle ready, Joker."

"Can't we just ignore the creepy ship floating in the middle of nowhere?"

"Oh come on," Shepard grinned. "It might be fun."

"Yeah, no," Joker mumbled, scanning over the results. "Not a big fan of dark and spooky."

EDI's voice came through, "Commander, I've run multiple scans, and I'm sensing scattered heat signatures, though none particularly indicative of life forms."

Shepard paused to consider this only briefly. "I'll gather my team. Have the med-bay ready in case we find anyone."

"Wait," Joker called, swiveling his chair to face her as she started down the entry. "Shouldn't we, you know, let turian command know what's going on? Or even the Council?"

"I'm not waiting around for them to decide what to do," she replied. Turian command was ridiculously bureaucratic when it came to dealing with speculative situations of this caliber. She wasn't waiting for them to give her orders.

Still, Shepard would go on good faith and let at least one turian know. "I'll let Garrus know, just in case," Shepard said absentmindedly, as she considered her squad. Joker's cackle snapped her from her line of thinking.

"Aha! So you two are still talking."

Shepard pointedly ignored his grinning face and strode out of the bridge.

Kelly gave her a light nod as she stopped by her terminal and typed up a quick message to Garrus—'Found a turian vessel. Civilian maybe. Possible cargo onboard. No external damage, but it's gone completely dark. Going to check it out. Coordinates are as follows—'

"Who should I call down, Commander?" Kelly asked, just before Shepard stepped into the elevator.

"Tell Tali to meet me downstairs in twenty minutes," she replied, and pushed the dial for the Crew deck.

She made a dash for the mess hall as soon as the doors open, fully intent on getting her usual cup of coffee before departing. Thankfully, Gardner was already pouring the brew into a Styrofoam cup.

"Gotcha all set here, Commander," he gave her an affable nod and she smiled in thanks, settling into one of the tables.

Ashley Williams came out of the bunkers just then, straightening up her uniform and assuring her hair was still neatly held in place. She went in for breakfast, immediately noticing the Commander sitting quietly by herself.

She slid into the chair beside her, "Are we stopped?"

Shepard nodded, holding the cup with both hands, letting the heat drain into her skin. "Found a turian vessel. Going to investigate."

Ashley frowned, "Shouldn't we let the turians take care of it?"

Shepard mimicked her expression, "Everyone says that."

"For good reason, Commander," she reminded.

"It'll be fine," she said, gulping down the last of the coffee. "It'll be an adventure."

Ashley's expression eased until it was amusement in her eyes instead of doubt. "If you say so, Ma'am." She gave it some thought. "Mind if I tag along?"

Shepard gave a small shake of her head, "Sorry, Ash. I've got Samara and Tali on this. You should rest, Noveria kicked our asses, remember?"

"I'm fine," she insisted, "I can handle it."

Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder, "I know that. I wouldn't have dragged you out of Alliance service otherwise."

It hadn't been easy either. Finding her on Horizon had been an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. Yeah, Ashley had been skeptical about her revival, even more when the rumors about Shepard's Cerberus ties turned out to be true. But these were delicate times, and friends were too few and far between.

Hours of deliberating with Ashley's superiors, they'd finally let her onboard a Cerberus vessel, with the promise that she be brought back alive. Shepard intended to keep that promise.

Ashley gave a short, relenting sigh. "Fine, I'll stay. Just…be careful out there, Commander."

"Can't afford not to be," Shepard said with a smile. She stood out of her chair and went to summon Samara.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's been too long. **

**Mass Effect belongs to Bioware.**

* * *

Shepard exhaled.

Another corridor, another body. Years fighting this war had hardened her considerably, but the sight of dead civilians was always difficult to deal with. It had to be. Otherwise what else was there to fight for?

She kneeled next to the dead turian, one of the many they had come across. The rooms in the lower levels were filled with the stench of death, bodies crumpled on the floor in utter disorder. She reached a gloved hand and touched the slack mandible on his face, stained with blue. This one, like all the others, had taken his own life. She frowned, wishing Garrus was here to help make sense of this. Without really meaning to she saw his face filling with contempt, urgent for an explanation.

She got to her feet. Garrus. Why was she thinking about him at a time like this? Her earlier conversation with Thane must have weighed more on her mind than she thought.

She radioed Tali and Samara, still fussing over the power controls, and informed them she was going on ahead.

* * *

"So the Skyllian Blitz, _that_ must have been exciting."

Shepard took a glance at the bottle he tipped to her direction, leaning over and taking it firmly. It was fuller than she expected, they had been here for the better part of an hour, talking in the quiet space of the main battery. It had been Garrus' idea of catching up, and hell, she needed the distraction. Being brought back from the dead was heavy stuff.

"You act like I _enjoyed_ being there," she took a hearty swig, enjoying the light sting of alcohol. Garrus had picked a brand made to be especially compatible between species, though she couldn't help but wonder if they were still challenging biology by forgoing the drinking glasses.

He shrugged, "I always thought of you as someone with an appreciation for battle."

"And you'd be right," she admitted, handing him the bottle and briefly meeting his eyes. "But I was on leave that day and…" she straightened up a little. "Unprepared," she explained, after a short silence. "No one was expecting Reapers on Elysium, not for a long while at least."

"Ah, makes sense, I suppose." He offered her the bottle and this time, as she reached for it, their fingers touched. Clumsily, she took it, the memory of his fleeting touch embedding into her skin despite her best efforts to ignore it.

She drank again, nearly emptying the bottle. She found her eyes lingering on Garrus, as he stood with one hip leaning tentatively against the console, hands folded across his chest. Though she couldn't see it very well, the bandage on the right side of his face was still there, a haunting reminder of how close she'd come to losing another friend. His eyes, those impeccable blue orbs, suddenly flickered to hers. She quickly averted her face.

"Oh, you can have the rest," he said politely.

"Thanks," she muttered, and promptly drank what was left. "Maybe next time, it'll be my treat," she gave the empty bottle a shake. "And I'll invite you up to my cabin, you know, for a change."

He chuckled, mandibles flaring. "Sure."

She never did.

* * *

Space was beautiful; cold and empty and vast, slowly unfurling before her eyes as chunks of metal were ripped away from the hull of the ship. It was an odd thing, witnessing her enemy so close, and being so unafraid except for the safety of her squad and the ship carrying her crew.

The Reaper stirred to life again, feeble and disassembled but somehow still managing rudimentary functions. At odd intervals, it could still lash out with a searing beam, aiming at nothing. But it was enough to slowly crack the ship apart. Thankfully, the mass effect field around the perimeter was active, ensuring that she wouldn't be sucked out into blackness anytime soon.

"They're here, Commander," Joker's voice came through with minimal static, but frayed with anguish. He waited with bated breath to hear her response.

"Good," she let her body relax a little. Tali and Samara were safe on the Normandy, a little shaken perhaps, but well out of harm's way. She was beginning to regret having gone ahead after all. Maybe if she hadn't, she wouldn't have gone through those doors just as the power came back on and sealed them for good.

She collapsed against a crate, her hand curling over an aching shoulder, fingers probing the dented armor. As the Reaper had stirred to life, it had sent out a massive blast that, according to a very anxious Joker, could be seen from the Normandy. The resulting debris had nearly crushed her, not that she'd gotten away completely unscathed. "Joker, I need to know—"

"I'm not leaving without you," he said stubbornly, and she could practically see the determination in his eyes through the visor in her helmet. "So don't ask me to. Ever."

"If it comes down to it, I might," she reminded softly, "and you'd have to."

He exhaled, and Jane couldn't help but think the reverberation of his long sigh was beautiful as it filtered through her earpiece. It brought back memories of a time when she would lie in bed with him, unfettered from the complications of full command. It never did work out between them, but it was something they both mutually accepted as fact.

"I'm not leaving until I kill this thing," she informed him, keeping her tone focused and unalarmed. She rose to her feet and reached up behind her, grabbing hold of her M-96 Mattock. Taking out a Reaper on foot was strenuous work, even with the right equipment. But she had the advantage here, in that the one here was immobile and heavily secured to a large platform in the middle of the cargo bay.

She stood a mere five feet from it, surveying the markings on its surface, the torn ligaments and sheared off limbs that were propped up on either side of the wide bay. She made a dismayed sound and clenched her jaw. The devastation she had witnessed in the upper deck, the bodies she had to inspect—one by one—for any sign of life before moving on were because someone somewhere had thought it practical to keep a Reaper within the confines of a ship. The Hierarchy better have an explanation for this.

She took a deep breath and, ignoring the resulting pain, she lifted her left hand to support the weight of the rifle as she pointed it at the Reaper. A steady onslaught of bullets ripped through its core, pausing only when Shepard had to reload. After it looked obliterated enough, she dispatched a grenade and braced for cover as it blew through any remaining circuits.

"Send in a shuttle, Joker," she put her rifle away, "and get me some biotics."

"Yes ma'am," he replied, his voice a note brighter with relief.

* * *

Jack hauled her up with relative ease, plucking her up through the wide opening the Reaper made in the hull and, with some cooperation from Miranda, eased her inside the shuttle. Shepard fell to her knees as soon as the doors sealed and mumbled something about losing her sense of wonderment.

"Wish I'd been there," Jack said wryly, settling into her seat on the shuttle while Miranda helped Shepard up. "You look like you had a blast."

Miranda shot her a look of warning and gently lowered the Commander so she could sit. "You're injured," she noted, observing the way she held herself. Shepard nodded quietly and allowed Miranda to unload the rifle from her shoulder. "I'll let Chakwas know."

She uttered a word of thanks and radioed Joker. "What's the status on the data Tali recovered?"

"She and Kasumi are trying to make sense of it," he replied. "But we've got bigger problems right now."

Shepard sighed, of course they did. "Lay it on me."

"Turian Command is sending over a ship to investigate."

* * *

Chakwas helps her out of her armor. By now her shoulder feels so swollen she dares not move it, and Chakwas is so efficient anyway that Shepard mostly stands there helplessly. When she is down to her undergarments she sits on the edge of the bed to be examined.

"This is the worst dislocation I have seen in a very long time," she scolded lightly, prodding here and here. She looked at Shepard right in the eye and said, "We're going to have to set it back in."

She left Shepard and came back with Thane, who must have been waiting outside if he was so readily available. He gave Shepard an appraising look, edged with concern.

"I'm fine," she told him, and his lips slightly upturned. Chakwas filled him in on the details of her injury, peppering in some basic anatomical information to better assist him in understanding what they were dealing with here. Shepard insisted she wanted to get it over with.

Thane took hold of her arm securely but tenderly. It was reassuring. Jane imparted a smile, "So, do we count to three…or—"

There was a loud 'pop' and Shepard gasped and groaned.

"That's the spirit," Chakwas chuckled, looking up from the datapad in her hands. Turned out the master assassin was as cold and forthright when it came to medical care as he was in the battlefield. Not even a voiced warning.

Shepard fell back on the bed, the pain receding. He moved closer and curled his fingers over her hand, planting a kiss on her forehead, "Glad you made it out safely, Siha."

He excused himself politely, leaving Chakwas to continue caring for the Commander. The doctor gave Shepard a look of intrigue, "Well he's certainly… dashing."

"I guess." She shrugged and regretted doing so as she still ached.

Chakwas examined her shoulder again. "Are you planning on holding onto this one?" she queried, confirming that the joint was well in its place.

"I can't say," she admitted. With things the way they were, it was hard to think long term with anything.

"I see. Well you certainly pick interesting partners," Karin patted her back with a shrewd smile. "I'll have Miss Chambers bring you a change of clothes."

* * *

Garrus Vakarian stood on the bridge in his formal attire, waiting for his temporary ship to dock. The Captain, an imposing man at least ten years his senior, joined him briefly. "So you'll be handling this yourself?"

Garrus performed the appropriate salute, then nodded. "It's best if I do."

"Using personal leverage?" The Captain said amusedly, his normally stern face placid. Garrus blinked and parted his mouth slightly, uncertain of what to say.

"I beg your pardon," the Captain muttered half-heartedly, "I merely assumed, given your willingness to go through all the trouble to deal with the matter."

"No need to apologize, Sir," Garrus mustered a thin smile. "I am here out of duty, nothing more."

"Of course." The Captain wished him the best and retreated to work out the logistical matters of dealing with a stray vessel.

* * *

Shepard stepped out of the med-bay in her uniform, courtesy of Kelly Chambers who thought to bring the most formal thing in her closet. Ashley was resting against the edge of one of the tables, reading from a datapad. She glanced up as soon as the doors opened and straightened up, managing a salute.

"You're not supposed to do that, remember?" Shepard teased lightheartedly as Ashley fell into step with her. "I'm technically not Alliance."

"Old habit, ma'am."

They entered the elevator and Jane pressed the button for the CIC. Ashley spoke up, "So are you alright?"

"Won't be using my left-hook for a while, but I'm fine."

The elevator doors opened and she stepped out.

"Our guest has arrived," Kelly informed. "He is boarding as we speak."

Shepard and Ashley exchanged harried looks. "So how much trouble do you think we're in?" Ashley asked tentatively.

"Hard to say," Shepard walked briskly to the bridge, "I did just break into one of their ships. But all things considered, they're the ones that have some explaining to do."


End file.
